Turkey Syria offensive: Kurds accuse Turkish army of violating ceasefire

2019-10-24 15:13:35

Kurdish-led forces in north-east Syria have accused Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels of violating a ceasefire deal that ended a two-week offensive. The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, Mazloum Abdi, said there had been attacks on the frontline near the town of Ras al-Ain. He urged the truce's guarantors - the US and Russia - to "rein in the Turks". Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry said Kurdish fighters in the SDF were pulling back from the Turkish border. Under a deal between Russia and Turkey, they must withdraw at least 30km (20 miles) by Tuesday and hand over control to the Russian and Syrian militaries. In a speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that if Kurdish fighters failed to do so, his country would use its right to "crush them".